Court orders arrest of oil firm CEO over alleged fraud

An Igbosere Chief Magistrate Court has issued a bench warrant on the Chief Executive Officer of LXG Ocean Global Services Limited, Clement Clinton Enenche, for failing to appear before it in a criminal case in which he allegedly issued dud First City Monument Bank cheques in favour of ORYX Oil Marketing Company Nigeria Ltd.
Enenche and his company were arraigned before the court for allegedly issuing two dud cheques of N9 million each, in a bid to partially offset a debt of N160 million owed the complainant for petroleum products that he purchased between September 2014 and March 2015.
At the hearing of the case yesterday, the prosecutor, DSP Raymond Akhaine, informed the court that he was surprised that the accused was absent in court despite the fact that he is on bail and the case was coming up for the first time after his arraignment.
Consequently, the prosecutor applied for the revocation of bail and also urged the court to issue a bench warrant against the accused.
In response to the prosecutor’s application, counsel to the complainant, Mr. Gbenga Ajala, informed the court that shortly before the court commenced sitting, he overheard the accused’s lawyer informing the prosecutor that his client was not coming to court without any justifiable reason.
He also informed the court of the kind of individual the accused person is, as well as his numerous pranks and tricks. Ajala therefore urged the court to deal with the case objectively.
While ruling on the prosecutor’s application, Chief Magistrate Ola Shonuga ordered the issuance of a bench warrant on the accused and directed his lawyer to come with the medical reports of his client on the next adjournment date being January 20, 2016.
Count one of the charge against the accused reads; “that you Clement Clinton Enenche “m” and LXG Ocean Global Services Ltd, sometime in the month of June, 2015 at Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to with namely: Issuance of dud cheque and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
Count two reads; “that you Clement Clinton Enenche ‘m’ sometime in the month of June, 2015 at Lagos, in the Lagos Magistrate District did issue a First City Monument Bank cheque with serial number 12291519 valued at N9 million only on June 1, 2015 to Oryx Oil Marketing Company Nig. Ltd and on presentation for payment it was dishonoured as a result of insufficient funds in your bank account and thereby committed an offence punishable under 319(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
Count three reads; “That you Clement Clinton Enenche ‘m’ sometime in the month of June, 2015 at Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District did issue another First City Monument Bank cheque with serial number 12291518 valued at N9 million only to Oryx Oil Marketing Nig. Ltd and on presentation for payment it was dishonoured as a result of insufficient funds in your bank account and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 319)b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.